SUBSTRATES

Cotton and poly/cotton blends, most open knits but not materials that have been waterproofed.

CAUTION

• Always test ink on substrate prior to production run.
• Allow 24-96 hours after test printing to evaluate ink for intended application.
• If product requires overlapping coats (i.e. multi-colours), test ink on substrate with overlapping coats.

ADDITIVES/WASH-UP

1100 Series plastisol ink may be used straight from the can, but maximum 2% of 1180-50 Wetting Agent thinner is recommended for reducing viscosity when required. CAUTION - too much thinner may increase the curing requirements of ink resulting in fabric scorching, shrinkage, especially on 50-50 poly/cotton fabric blends.

Using mineral spirits for thinning will cause resin particles to swell, creating changes in viscosity which may cause poor opacity or blurred impressions.

The addition of 1180-225 Extender/Softhand will reduce the drag of the plastisol for quick release and better penetration into the fabric. Combined with a fine screen mesh (200-245 mono-poly) this will produce a 'dye-like' printing effect on light coloured fabric.

A blend of approx. 2 parts 1180-225 Extender/Softhand 1 part colour may be used for Wet-on-Wet printing.

To further adjust the viscosity add approx. 2% 1180-50 Thinner.

A 10-15% addition into any 1100 Series colour will create a puff effect. Should puckering occur on jersey material, then it is suggested to use a (110 mesh) to minimize the problem. However, a slight pull or puckering of the material may enhance the puff appearance.

When large areas of puff are required and puckering occurs, then an 80% halftone dot screen may be used as a substitute for the solid area. This will create the same visual effect but will minimize the puckering of the fabric. Generally a coarse mesh (25T to 100mono-poly) provides the best results on most fabrics.

Available in many colours. Add to existing colours to increase opacity. Use with 1100 Base to create custom colours.

Add 10% to 1100 Series plastisol to create omit hot-split transfers. Use of transfer adhesive is also recommended.

A General Purpose wash-up solvent, excellent to clean up plastisol from screens, machines and floors.

SQUEEGEE BLADE PRESSURE

Always consider POLYURETHANE squeegee blades. The flex and firmness of the blade will determine how much ink is deposited on the material. The hardness of the blade is measured in shore hardness.

Hard (70-75 Shore) is ideal for extremely detailed prints, it will lay down a lighter deposit of ink. Medium (60-65 Shore) is excellent whien printing on dark garments, it will lay down a heaver deposit of ink.

A 45 degree angle works well, but there are times when it should be varied depending on the hardness of the squeegee and ink thickness. Proper squeegee pressure will determine the quality of your ptint. Experiment to find your own print technique.

WASH FASTNESS

1100 Series plastisols will withstand washing.

1. Use lukewarm water, hand or machine washing, soap or mild laundry detergents.
2. Don't use laundry BLEACH
3. Don't dry clean.
4. Don't iron over print area.

TRANSFER APPLICATIONS

Regular/Glitter Transfers:
Recommended temperature 360°F, 6 seconds, applied under pressure, let cool for a few seconds and peel.

HOT SPLIT TRANSFERS

Recommended temperature 360°F, 6 seconds, applied under pressure, let cool for a few seconds peel paper "IMMEDIATELY".
When printing close to register transfers, preshrink your paper stock by passing it through your dryer to avoid register problems.

Full cure is achieved when transfers are applied to the garments with a heat transfer press. Plastisol transfers should only be applied to cotton, poly/cotton blends or blends or other similar materials with s "weave" so the ink has better fusion to the fibres.

N.B. Above recommendations are to be used as a guide line only. TO determine the best procedure for end use, we recommend that your do a variety of tests to achieve the best results.

FABRIC/STENCIL

Multi and Mono-filament fabrics are recommended depending on mesh count required. To determine which mesh count will provide optimum printing characteristics the following recommendations are to be used as guide line only.

To achieve the best results we suggest that you do a variety of tests.

All stencil systems are suitable, but direct photographic emulsion will provide the most durable stencil. Indirect stencils can be used.

DRYING/CURING

The cure on direct printed garments may be affected by the thickness of the ink deposit, heat fluctuations, density of substrates and the type of oven. Too much heat may liberate the garment dyes and cause migration (colour bleeding), fabric scorching and shrinkage.

A good test to see if the ink is cured is to streych the cured print. If the ink stretches like a r ubber band, then it has formed a continuous film and is fully cured. If it starts to break apart, then it is under cured.

Additional passes through the oven at the same temperature setting does not work, it is necessary to increase the temperature. If the garment reaches 315°F the plastisol will be well cured.